The Palmer House Hilton is known as the place where the brownie, the international favorite, was invented. Han Jingyan / For China Daily

Our tasting tour of the Windy City began at Pizano's Pizza & Pasta, which some proclaim as the birthplace of the deep-dish pies that have become edible icons of the metropolis.

Our guide says that six decades ago, a man named Rudy Malnati invented deep-dish pizza and opened this restaurant.

The deep-dish takes its name from the cavernous pans that produce crusts up to 8 cm high at their edges. The dough is loaded with sausages, onions and mushrooms sprinkled atop tomato sauce and a thick coating of mozzarella.

After the delicious pizza, we visited The Palmer House Hilton on Monroe Street, which, according to our guide, is where the brownie was invented.

The Palmer House was originally built as a wedding present from Potter Palmer, one of the owners of Palmer Industries, to his bride.

The Great Chicago Fire incinerated the hotel soon after its 1871 opening. Palmer immediately set about rebuilding with a $1.7 million loan.

He let his wife take charge of the design. The property became one of Chicago's fanciest hotels after the blaze. The lobby, decorated with bronze sculptures and classical murals on the ceiling, is full of romantic flavor.

The hotel's signature brownie also arises from an interesting legacy.

One day, Mrs Palmer requested the chef make a dessert for ladies attending a fair held in the hotel. She said the dessert "should be smaller than a piece of cake, though still retaining cake-like characteristics and easily eaten from boxed lunches".

The chef invented the dessert and incorporated apricots and walnuts. These were perhaps the first brownies - the baked delights that exist in limbo between the realms of cake and cookie. They've since become an international favorite.

We choose the American's Dog next since it claims to be the best place to try Chicago-style hot dogs. Chicago-style hot dogs are topped with many ingredients, excluding ketchup - adding ketchup is a cardinal sin, according to locals - and include a huge pickle.

Our tour ends with two sweet destinations - Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique and Fannie May.

Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique offers cupcakes, cake pops, macaroons and other desserts. Fannie May is a chocolate shop, proffering an assortment of chocolates. Customers can customize flavors and shapes.

Surely, we got a good taste of Chicago - which proved to be a city of good tastes.

Han Jingyan contributed to this story.

(China Daily 05/04/2014 page10)